Opinion: With 63 Champions League appearances, Celtic decision makes sense

There might have been some surprise amongst Celtic fans when James Forrest signed a contract extension until 2025 earlier this month, as he didn’t play a lot of games for the Hoops in season 2021/22 due to injury – the 30-year-old played 32 times for the club, scoring four goals and contributing five assists.

However, the decision makes sense when you look at the experience Forrest has, especially in the Champions League. The Celtic winger has made 63 appearances for the Hoops in the competition, which is the second most made any any player in the Champions League.

The player who has made the most appearances for the Hoops in the competition is Scott Brown, who made 83 appearances for the Bhoys.

With you look at the number of games that Forrest has played for the Hoops in the Champions League, his experience will be vital to Celtic when they return to the competition next season.

Forrest might not start most games for the Bhoys in the group stages next season, but his experience will be very important to the Hoops squad overall, as he can tell his teammates what you need to do to have success in the group stages.

With Scott Brown, Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic all having left Celtic in the last year, it is important to keep players in the squad that have had success to an extent in the Champions League, and Forrest has had that, as he featured for the Bhoys when Celtic reached the last 16 of the tournament in season 2012/13.

The experience that Forrest has garnered in over 10 years at Celtic is perhaps the most important thing about his current time at Celtic, as it seems that unless he can stay fit, he will be more of a squad player than a starter like he was in so much of his time at Celtic Park. 

As long as Ange